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Brain tumour survivors live longer with combo therapy: study
CBC News - CALGARY - 10 Mar 2005 - A new combination treatment of radiation and chemotherapy is extending the lives of patients with a type of brain cancer. Far from a cure, it's still the best news in years for patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive and deadly form of cancer. More than 1,100 Canadians are diagnosed with the disease each year. Most die within nine to 12 months of diagnosis.
In a study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Gregory Cairncross said the drug temozolomide extends the lives of patients with glioblastoma.
On average, the treatment adds three months of life. For just under half of the 573 adults with glioblastoma who were studied, it added one year or more.
"We're not suggesting this is a curative treatment," said Cairncross, a brain tumour specialist at the University of Calgary. "I think the reality is that most of these tumours eventually recur."
The octopus-like tumours can appear anywhere. They're difficult to treat because the tentacles invade the brain, where surgeons can never fully remove the cancer.
Don McHenry is among the first people to benefit from the combination therapy. On Sept. 28, McHenry suffered seizures and was rushed to emergency, where doctors found two tumours in his brain.
"I think that's one of the first things my wife and I said to each other, was 'I don't think anything's ever going to be the same after this,'" recalled McHenry, who has always been physically active and has no family history of cancer.
Until now, radiation has been the only treatment available.
For McHenry, the new treatment means a 1-in-4 chance of surviving two years, compared with 1-in-10 for radiation alone. The treatment also allows him to live a fairly normal life.
"We're buying time, and we're buying quality of life," said McHenry, a 59-year-old architect and father of two young girls.
Brain tumours can be particularly difficult to treat. Study co-author Dr. Warren Mason points out that even a little bit of extra time is a lot for people with little hope.
"I think it's important to note that this is the first drug that has been shown to be of some benefit to patients with glioblastoma," said Mason, a neuro-oncologist at Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital.
The Alberta government has approved the new therapy for treatment of glioblastoma, and doctors expect other provinces to follow suit. The drug costs about $20,000 per patient.
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